University of East London Centre For Narrative Research

University of East London Centre For Narrative Research

University of East London Centre For Narrative Research

The Centre for Narrative Research (CNR) is the leading international centre for narrative work in the social sciences. CNR aims to generate and develop innovative narrative research of all kinds, and to bring narrative researchers from all over the world into productive dialogue.

CNR draws on narrative research from across the social sciences and beyond. It is founded in interdisciplinarity; it includes researchers from psychological, sociological, anthropological, cultural and media studies, humanities, arts and performance research traditions. The Centre supports research on spoken, written and visual narratives. It fosters collaborations between its members, associates and advisors, and provides a forum for researchers in applied and policy settings, as well as academics and graduate students.

The Centre is open to all kinds of narrative researchers, whatever their theoretical and methodological backgrounds. At the same time, CNR’s work is distinguished, first, by its commitment to narrative complexity – to studying the contradictions, incoherences and omissions in narratives, as well as narrative sensemaking – and second, by its explorations of relationships between personal narratives and the social world.

Centre objectives

To serve as an international focus for innovative narrative research in the social sciences

To produce a distinctive strand of publications on narrative in the social sciences, in the form of books and journal articles

To develop research collaborations, nationally and internationally

To support and encourage the work of graduate students in associated with the Centre and in the narrative field